


Imzadi

by orphan_account



Series: The Final Frontier [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Betazoid Bitty, Debrunite Jack, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Jack, M/M, Mild Angst, Past Arranged Marriage, Secret Relationship, Star Trek AU, Vulcan finger touching, relationship coming out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 12:12:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13589814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Eric Bittle is happy where he is--his identity no longer a secret, and exploring the nuances of this new, fragile thing he has with Captain Jack Zimmermann.  But there's a wrench in Bitty's plan to enjoy his new life when a Bajoran luxury vessel arrives with a man on board claiming to be Bitty's betrothed.





	Imzadi

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based on the TNG's episode, Haven, where Troi's intended comes to claim their bond. Suzanne isn't exactly like Lwaxana Troi...or really not at all, but Lwaxana's character did give me a handful of ideas for Betazoid Suzanne.
> 
> This is set sometime after what will be the final events of Where No Bittle Has Gone Before. There aren't any major spoilers since it should be pretty obvious Zimbits is endgame in that fic. TBH I just wanted some fluff and a little bit of Jealous Captain Jack.

“Sir? We have request for a non-lifeform to beam onboard. The transmission is being addressed to Lt. Bittle, Sir.”

Eric looks up from his console at Jack who is wearing a deep frown, mouth tipped into a small arc. What they have between them is…new, and fragile, and Eric has been working at controlling himself with Jack, controlling what he can feel, because it’s not fair to Jack to not have pieces of himself stay private. So he doesn’t’ reach out and try to read them, but he can read Jack’s face which seems concerned.

“I’ll be right now, Mr. Oliver.” He stands, then turns. “Number One, take the helm. Mr. Bittle, with me, please.”

Eric scrambles to stand, feeling just a tiny hint of fear because he’s certainly not expecting anything, and it’s not like anyone out there in the known universe even knows who the hell he is.

His legs have to move double time to keep up with Jack, who keeps the swiftest pace in the corridor. Before they reach the Transporter room, Jack halts, and he spins, a hand out to touch Eric’s chest faster than Eric can prepare for, and he lets out a tiny, “Oomph,” as he skids into Jack’s chest.

“Do you know what this might be?”

Eric shakes his head. The only thing he can even begin to think of is maybe a care package from his mother. She worries way too much, and her last trip aboard all those months ago set her off a little, her fear of Eric losing what little connection he had to home, and to her, ever-present in his thoughts even now. She’s protective, and he gets that. So he wouldn’t be shocked to find something from her.

“It might be…my mother,” he says carefully.

Jack gives an uncomfortable hum because he did not enjoy the unrestrained scrutiny of Suzanne Bittle. “I see.”

“But she didn’t say anything,” Eric says in a rush. “I’m not…expecting anything. Jack…I mean, Sir I…”

He goes quiet when Jack reaches out and briefly, only for a second, lets his hand touch Eric’s cheek. They haven’t done anything, haven’t go so far as a bond, or promises. No vows, which although raised human, Eric feels the pull of how loyal he would be to such a vow, but he knows now he’d be willing to make them to Jack, should the Captain ask.

“I’m not angry. You may see for yourself,” Jack says.

So Eric does. He closes his eyes, and _lets_ himself, and he just feels warmth and affection, with an underlying worry, but that’s not uncommon where Jack is concerned. At least, not when it comes to Eric.

“Thank you,” Eric mumbles, and Jack reaches out briefly to squeeze his hand before he turns and the door to the Transporter room slides open.

Ollie’s at the transporter station, his hand hovering over the controls to give permission for the non-lifeform to beam aboard, and he looks at Jack who takes a breath, then nods. Eric can’t ward off the tension seeping into him, but it’s from all parties so it’s not as invasive as if it would have felt if Jack had been projecting.

There’s the quiet hum of the transporter, and then something shimmers into existence. It’s a silver chest and Eric’s heart begins to thump heavily and uncomfortably against his ribs because he knows what this is. And something flares to life in his mind, something unwanted and terrifying because though the memory is ancient, from a time when he was barely high enough to reach his mother’s knee, he knows it.

“Sir, I’m not sure what…”

Eric clears his throat. “It’s jewels. It’s…they’re…it’s a courting ritual.”

Jack turns and stares at Eric, eyes slightly wider than usual. Before he can speak, there’s a ping on the comm and Shitty’s voice comes through. “Sir, we have a communication request with a Bajoran Leisure Vessel.”

Eric’s stomach twists again, and he remembers his neighbors then. Remembers how well his mother had gotten along with them, and he remembers Benn who wasn’t as nice as his parents, but who was amiable to whatever they were asking of these kids too young to be making vows. They didn’t stay on earth long, and honestly, neither did Suzanne and Eric, when they boarded the Madison with Eric’s father.

“You know them.” It’s not a question Jack’s asking, but a statement, and Eric sighs.

“I have a feeling my mother will be calling in soon.”

Jack hesitates, and his hand twitches, and Eric can feel him push a want at him. But they’ve agreed, for now, that whatever this is is between them and they’ll tell the crew when they’re ready. And sure. Right now all Eric wants to do is crawl into Jack’s arms and hide his face until this all goes away but…

But he’s not a child, and Jack is his captain, not his protector.

They leave the Transport room, and because he corridor is empty, Jack reaches for him briefly. “You know what this is about.” Yet again, another non-question.

Eric sighs. “I…later. Can we…later?”

“After dinner, then,” Jack says, releases him, and walks a few steps ahead.

Eric tells himself this is about protocol and Jack being captain, not because he’s upset this fragile thing between them. He knows in this moment he could reach out and check, but in all honesty, he’s too afraid.

\--- --- --- 

Communication with the Wyck family on the Bajoran ship goes…as expected, really. Jack is tense but polite as he grants their request to come aboard to discuss the bonding ceremony with his officer, Eric Bittle. Eric can see the tension in Jack’s jaw, but he says nothing apart from stepping aside so Eric can get his mother’s ship on screen.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Suzanne says flippantly, and Eric holds his breath because he knows her brand of honesty is painful, even to himself because she felt how he did about Jack, and she had warned him that a Debrunite like Jack would never be good for him. Would never want to be. He’s only hoping he can keep her shut out for now, for long enough that she doesn’t spill his secret to the crew, or say anything that would cause Jack further pain. “I completely forgot to mention it. That was my fault. Your aunt Judy had me all up in a tizzy and I…”

“Mother,” Eric says, and her babbling trails off. Her eyes, black as pitch, just like Bitty’s, fix on him.

“Right, yes. I’ll be there shortly and we can of course, discuss your bonding ceremony arrangements.”

“Mother I…”

“See you soon.”

Then the screen is dark and Jack stares at Eric for a moment, then excuses him. Eric’s red in the face and is trying his best to ignore the howls of chirping that the crew is now sending his way, because their little Bitty is all grown up, and going to be a married man.

Eric doesn’t take the time to remind them that if this bonding ceremony goes through, he has to leave the ship.

\--- --- ---

He finds Jack on the holodeck, a scene of his homeworld spread out before him. The cold isn’t the same, but it’s still something, and Eric punches in a code for warm furs and boots before he tromps through the snow to find Jack.

He’s sitting on a fallen log by a frozen lake, and he doesn’t say anything when Eric hunkers down next to him, but there’s waves of tension and fear rolling off him like he can’t control it. Eric’s heart hurts, mostly because he hasn’t had time to explain. Whatever this is, he’s going to get rid of it. He doesn’t want to leave the Falconer, and he’s certainly not done exploring what this is with Jack. It’s almost funny, in a way, to see his stoic captain _pouting_ in the fake snow.

“Jack…”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were betrothed? I know the Betazoid customs, Bittle.”

 _Bittle_. That hurts more than anything. “I was five,” Eric defends, then takes a breath. “I didn’t…I wasn’t aware of how the Betazoid customs worked back then. I’d only ever seen Earth. I…my mother thought…she was afraid she wouldn’t find anyone who would want me. I was half human so the others on Betazed looked at me askance. The rest of the universe thought I was too…honest. Too invasive. Sometimes too human, even. Benn’s family thought we’d make a good match. Most Betazoid don’t even go through with their bonding ceremonies.”

“But he wishes to,” Jack points out. “He’s…they’ll be here. For you.”

Eric licks his lips. He wants to tell Jack what they have is more important, and of course he’ll break it, of course he’ll stay. But he has no guarantee Jack even wants that. They’ve kissed, they’ve slept next to each other, taken comfort in each other. They steal brief brushes of hands, Jack send him comfort and affection when he needs it.

They have no promises, but they have more than nothing, and whatever that something is, is far more important than some vow he took at _five_.

“I don’t have to…”

“I understand custom better than anyone, Bittle.” The name, again, stings. “And I would not presume to ask such a thing of you.” Then Jack stands and heads for the exit.

Eric’s after him in a flash, hands out, desperate. He manages to snag the edge of Jack’s fur. “You called me Imzadi,” Eric breathes out. “Does that…is that no longer true?”

Jack turns slowly, reaches with a big hand, touching Eric’s face. “You will always be Imzadi to me, but I know beloved means more than one thing. I will take you however I can have. But forgive me if I must step back as this…goes forward.”

And then he’s gone—the warmth of him, the feel of him. The door shuts, leaving Eric behind in the cold, confused and wondering how the hell he’s going to break through Jack’s melancholy.

\--- --- --- 

Eric has no actual time to put things right with Jack, because the Wyck family arrives, and like the good captain he is, Jack is there to greet them and make nice. Eric wonders if anyone else can hear the tension in his voice, or see the way his jaw tenses when Benn Wyck steps forward.

And he’s handsome. He truly is, and maybe if Eric wasn’t head over heels for his stubborn, self-sacrificing, Debrunite captain, he might be taken by him. Benn has thick, dark brown hair, and soft blue eyes which sit neatly on either side of his nose where it creased gently. He’s wearing soft blue clothes, and his smile is pleasant enough. But Eric isn’t sold on it, not completely. He breathes, and attempts to feel, but it feels like he’s coming up against a block. A strong block. He takes a step back, makes a confused noise, and does not miss the way Benn’s smile widens.

Eric understands that it’s only fair others have the ability to protect themselves against telepaths, but there’s something about his expression that sets Eric on edge. He turns to look at Jack, but Jack is resolutely staring anywhere but at Eric. In fact, he stepped away from him when Eric had gravitated closer, and was now greeting Benn’s parents.

“…excited to get this under way. Benn here has been looking forward to this bonding ceremony for some time. In fact, it took quite a bit of digging to find our dear Eric.”

Eric stiffens, and wonders why his parents hadn’t told him the Wycks were looking for him. “My apologies,” Eric says, making a slight bow. “It’s good to see you again.” He can’t remember the woman’s name, nor Benn’s father. They look friendly enough, but again, the same block.

“It’s no trouble, really. And now look where it’s gotten us. On a Starfleet Vessel,” she says with twinkling eyes.

Eric doesn’t like that, but no one else seems bothered.

\--- --- --- 

Suzanne arrives not long after the Wycks, her dark eyes taking in what Eric knows is probably obvious nerves, and Jack’s stoic face. Eric and Jack have been working on him blocking her out, but she’s stronger than Eric is, so Eric is prepared for his secret to get out.

Only Suzanne doesn’t seem to pick up on it at all. She merely greets Jack, then demands that her son walk her to her quarters.

“So,” she says aloud when the doors shut, “Dicky…”

“Mother,” Eric says from behind a sigh.

“You’re still my little one, aren’t you? Just because you’ve gone up in rank here on your own ship…”

“It’s hardly _my_ ship, mother,” Eric says as Suzanne sits at her vanity table and begins to adjust her hair.

She looks at him through the polished glass, then smiles. _And you’ve been training, it seems._

At his father’s insistence, Suzanne kept out of Eric’s head when he was a child, discouraged him from poking around others, so it still feels strange and invasive to hear her inside his mind like this. But he braces himself, and tries to get used to it because there’s no hiding from her that he’s been training.

_Jack’s been coaching me now that he knows. Now that they all know. It’s gone better than father predicted, I think._

“I always warned him he was being far too cautious, but he never wanted to listen. He…worried about you.”

Eric sighs. “I know, mother.” He tries not to feel bitter about it all, about everything he’s repressed, and how hard he’s had to work to get to where he is now. Or about the long road he has ahead before he can really come out to Starfleet—so much to prove that what he is, is worth the risk.

“I know what you’re thinking,” his mother says, and she rises, putting a hand to his cheek. “Though I suppose it’s not something you have to worry about, once the bond is complete.”

Eric stiffens, and breathes through it, trying to shield his thoughts, though it’s often been impossible with her. “Mother I…”

“I have some wonderful ideas, you know. When Tamri contacted me and told me that Benn wished to complete the bond, I was over the moon. Of course you know I’ve been worried about you, being cooped up with your secret—and I know you’re glad the crew has accepted you, but the risk you face if anyone else finds out…” She trails off with a sigh, and she just looks so happy, Eric can’t bring himself to let her down by telling her he has no intention of completing the bond, or of leaving Jack.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” he says.

\--- --- --- 

Eric hopes to speak with Jack before the dinner, but Jack’s nowhere to be found, and only turns up in a clean, pressed uniform minutes before dinner is served. Everyone has had drinks, and Eric can only be glad his mother isn’t pushing some of the more traditional Betazoid customs. He’s not sure he could take the gong at the moment.

He’s sitting as far from Jack as he can get, really, with Benn across from him still unreadable as ever. Eric finds it disconcerting, because there are times when Jack wants to shut him out, but it’s nothing more than a gentle nudge, like a request. It’s never forceful and that makes Eric feel a little sick to his stomach. He wants to ask what his mother thinks, but she doesn’t seem to be bothered by it, as she happily digs into her soup.

“So, we do plan to do the bonding on the ship, yes?” Suzanne asks.

There’s a clatter, and Eric looks over to see Jack has dropped his fork. He flushes, mutters an apology, then inclines his head just once. “If Lute…if Mr. Bittle wishes it…”

“Now we haven’t even,” Eric begins, but Benn cuts him off.

“The sooner the better. I don’t want to wait longer than I have already.”

Eric bristles. He may not know everything about Betazoid culture, and Benn’s not one, but he does know there should have been more telepathic communication over the years and there’s been nothing but a sea of silence between them.

“Well, of course I’d like to honor the traditional nudity, and the bonding of the minds as well as words,” Suzanne says. “It will require you to lower your defenses.”

Eric sneaks a look at Jack, who now looks both sick and curious.

“You must understand why we’re…protective,” Benn says. “As we cannot reciprocate, and we are unaware of what is inside his mind.”

“Should we be planning this without father?” Eric asks.

Suzanne waves her hand. “He couldn’t make it even if he tried, Dicky. He’s been swamped, but he gave his blessing, of course. Just as worried about you as I was. And knowing that you no longer have to hide who you are once you leave the ship…”

Another clang, and there’s red wine spreading across the table cloth as Jack fumbles his glass. Then he simply stands up and stalks out.

Eric thinks about holding his tongue, but he can’t bring himself to see his own Imzadi in such distress, and they might not have made vows, but he feels something between them much stronger than if it were nothing.

“There won’t be any bonding,” Eric says.

The entire room goes silent.

Benn’s father clears his throat. “Now see here, your father promised us…”

“My father is human,” Eric says, feeling his irritation rising. It would be just like his parents to try and force his hand, for his own good, they’re probably thinking. But Eric is no child, and he’s brave, and he’s happy now. He wants this. “My father has no claim to Betazoid bonding tradition, and no marriages are forced. Arrangements rarely go through after so long, and I still have ultimate say.”

The Wycks’ faces all fall just a little.

Eric sighs. “I don’t know what you’ve promised them, mother, but you’ll need to make amends. I’m afraid I’m spoken for.”

“Fuck yeah, Bits!” Shitty stands up and fist-pumps, and Eric blushes white-hot, but he doesn’t care.

“My apologies again. I’m sure Mr. Knight will be happy to see you all off safely.” He drops his napkin on the table and sighs. “I have to inform my captain that he will not be losing his officer, or his partner.”

There’s a small commotion, and something like a dam breaking, and a flood of anger, disappointment, and a promise of revenge, but he thinks it’s his parents’ job to worry about that, since they created this mess. Instead he heads to the holodeck because he knows where Jack is.

Exactly as he expected him.

Skating.

Jack doesn’t see Eric right away, so Eric laces up, then joins him. Jack’s stiff, tense, waves of grief pouring off him, and he doesn’t fight it as Eric slowly backs him into the boards. Jack’s still ridiculously taller than Eric, but it’s not so bad like this. Eric reaches out and touches Jack’s face.

“Imzadi.”

A rush of pain, hitting Eric straight in the sternum.

“It’s only you, Jack. I never had any intention of leaving the Falconer.” He hesitates, then says, “Or you. Whatever this is between us I…it’s important to me. You’re important to me. More than some vow I took at five years old.”

Jack’s eyes are narrowed, and he reaches out, letting his perpetually cold fingers brush along the edge of Eric’s flush-warm jaw. “I thought I could let you go, but it’s painful.”

“I don’t want you to let me go. I don’t want something like that to be okay with you.” Eric closes his eyes, leans into Jack a little and lets out a shuddering breath when one of Jack’s large hands comes to rest at his waist. “If it were the other way around, I wouldn’t be able to stand it.”

Jack’s other hand reaches for Eric’s chin, tips it up so they’re gazing at each other, and Jack tries for a smile. It’s a little weak and watery, but it’s present and it’s genuine, which means a lot in the sea of hidden things and deceptions in the last few hours on the ship.

“It would have destroyed me, if you had bonded with another and left us behind.” The admission is quiet, and it’s pained, and it makes Eric’s heart thump hard against his ribs. But Jack’s hand is moving now, from Eric’s chin, to cup his jaw.

His right hand comes up, holding two fingers up, the remaining two curled into his palm, wrapped by his thumb. Eric emulates the gesture easily with his own right hand, and he feels the press of Jack’s fingers against his own. He feels the affection in the gesture, rushing through his arm, to his heart. Eric’s hand turns, as if by instinct as Jack’s fingers run down the back of his, tracing along his hand. The sensation grows stronger.

Eric opens his mind, allowing all of Jack’s affection to flow into him, and it’s more intimate than any embrace Eric has ever had.

They give in to their human sides after, eyes closing, mouths pressed together in a gentle kiss, locked there as Jack’s hand lays warm and steady against his cheek. When they break apart, Eric swears for a moment he’ll never be able to find breath. And then he does. But he’s overwhelmed by what Jack feels for him, and what he feels for Jack, and in that moment he has no way to tell where he begins, and Jack ends.

But it’s a feeling he wants to keep, to cling on to and never let go.

“I wish to bond with you,” Jack says into that heavy silence.

Eric merely nods, not drawing away, letting himself remain open so Jack can—hopefully—feel exactly how much he wants that. “Yes,” Eric says eventually, because it’s something he should say aloud. “I’m not going anywhere, Jack. When I said I was yours, I meant it.”

Jack looks down at him, then slowly, the corners of his mouth turn up into a beautiful, soft smile.


End file.
